Parson picks Supreme Court judge, but not local finalist

SBJ file

Ginger Gooch was a finalist for a Supreme Court of Missouri seat.

Gov. Mike Parson yesterday announced the selection of a new Missouri Supreme Court judge. A local judge, one of the three finalists, was not picked for the role.

Judge Kelly Broniec, chief judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, in St. Louis, got the nod from Parson, according to a news release. Judge Ginger Gooch, who serves on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, in Springfield, was named as a finalist last month along with Broniec and Michael Gardner, a judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, in St. Louis.

"Appointing someone to serve on our state’s highest court and in such a central role to the functioning of our democracy is not something that I take lightly," Parson said in the release. “Not only is Judge Broniec an exceptional jurist, but she’s an even better person. She is a proud woman of faith who comes from humble beginnings and worked hard to pave her own way. We are confident that her appointment will help reshape and strengthen the Missouri Supreme Court and our judicial system as a whole.”

Parson's appointment fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge George W. Draper III.

Gooch, who previously was a partner at Husch Blackwell LLP, was selected late last year by Parson for her current bench seat, according to past reporting.

Gooch clerked at the Supreme Court of Missouri before starting in private practice in 2001. She was a partner at Husch Blackwell LLP from 2008 until she was named a judge and practiced business litigation, education, banking and appellate law, according to past reporting.